The Volt's warranty matches that of industry leader Toyota's Prius warranty in most states. (Source: GM)

The Volt undergoes shake testing. (Source: GM)

Claims that the competitors don't come close

IPads,
laptops, or cell phones typically come with at best a one-year
battery warranty. The
Tesla Roadster comes with a three-year, 36,000 mile
warranty. However, GM is going to offer and unprecedented
eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on the advanced lithium-ion battery
found in its upcoming 2011 Chevy Volt electric vehicle.

The
Volt will launch later this year, priced somewhere north of $40,000
before a $7,500 federal tax credit. Initial launch markets
will include Michigan, California and Washington, D.C., Austin,
Texas, and New York City (New Jersey, Connecticut and the rest of
Texas will received Volts in early 2011).

GM's
Volt Battery packs have seen vigorous testing, including 1 million
miles total miles of road tests and 4 million hours of validation
testing. They have also been subjected to an array of tests
including corrosion, impact, water submersion, short circuit, crush
and penetration, dust and extreme temperature changes.
Aggressive drive cycles, also known as "Shake, Bake, and Roll",
were also tested. The battery can reportedly withstand
temperatures as low as -13 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 122
degrees Fahrenheit.

Vice Chairman of Global Product Operations
Tom Stephens says that the warranty -- three years longer than the
standard GM powertrain warranty -- is a sign of the company's
satisfaction with its finished product. He states, "This
is really a major statement of our confidence."

The
warranty covers all 161 battery components, 95 percent of which are
designed and engineered by GM, plus the vehicle's thermal management
system, its electric drive system, and its charging system.
The

The 100k warranty is similar to the 100k mile warranty
offered with the Toyota
Prius. Much like the Prius, whose warranty is bumped to
150k in California to meet California's Air Resources Board's
standards, the Volt may receive an even longer warranty in California
and other states that have adopted its standards. California
Air Resources Board has not yet specified what warranty GM would need
to score partial zero-emission vehicle credits.

Other
competitors also offer similar warranties -- the Honda Insight comes
with a 100k, eight-year warranty (10-year, 150k in California) and
the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids come with an eight-year
100k warranty, as well. However, the battery packs used in
those hybrids are nowhere near as large as the one used in the Volt.
Nissan so far has announced no warranty yet on its 2011 Nissan Leaf
EV vehicle.

The Volt gets 40 miles on a fully charged battery
under ideal conditions. However, this can dip lower in hot or
cold weather. The gas engine should provide a steady 300 mile
range, under almost any weather condition, when the tank is full.
GM initially plans to produce 10,000 Volts in 2010, bumping
production to as many as 30,000 in 2011.

quote: The question that raises for me is outside of CA is the warranty the same? If it isn't, do these companies just inflate the number to meet the CARB standard or is it really a different battery that last longer, or are they just giving California Air Resouces Board the lip service they want?

It's the former not the latter... Meaning that there is no difference in the vehicles except warranty length due to regulations..the costs are passed down to the consumer. The warranties on these vehicles are as long as they are due to government regulations, not because the manufacturers actually want to warranty these vehicles for this long. It can be said this is a benefit because it's demonstrating to the public that Hybrid vehicles can last just as long if not longer than conventional vehicles so in the end it could benefit them.